TEHERAN - Iranâs parliamentarians piled further embarrassment on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday, overwhelmingly rejecting his third nominee for oil minister of the worldâs fourth biggest crude producer.The second biggest exporter in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has been rudderless since August, and parliamentary hostility to Ahmadinejad is exposing bitter rifts in the conservative camp.
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Lawmakers accused Ahmadinejad of only consulting with a small number of his close allies instead of with them. âAhmadinejad has a slogan of co-operation between parliament and government, but it would be better if he actually conferred with his lawmakers,â Sattar Hedayatkhah said in the debate before the vote. âThis delay is wasting Iranâs huge oil and gas assets and damaging its economy,â said Manouchehr Takin from the Centre for Global Energy Studies.
Conservative parliamentarian Kazem Jalali told Reuters a competent manager had to be found soon. âThe current situation weakens our stance in OPEC and will diminish our chances of co-operation with foreign companies because it indicates instability,â he said.
Lawmakers rejected Ahmadinejadâs first nominee in August. The second candidate pulled out of the race earlier this month, moments before lawmakers were due to cast their votes.